Archeologists make gruesome discovery while climbing the Himalayas

What happened? That's the question these experts are trying to answer following the unlikely discovery they've just made in a mountain lake on the Himalayas, the highest peak in the world. Several human bones have been unearthed. While the mountain range that shelters 'The Roof of the World' is the scene of many deaths, mainly of hikers attempting to set out on its assault, the low temperatures mean that they are preserved as they are; dressed as if frozen for eternity. Which brings us back to the previous question: what happened this time?

Skeleton Lake

It was in the Indian Himalayas, in Lake Roopkund, some 40 metres wide, that the finds were made. Human skeletons were found both in and around the lake. In all, nearly thirty. A discovery that has rightly earned it the nickname of 'Skeleton Lake'. Finding dead people in the Himalayas is not uncommon; finding bones is a little more so.

In an attempt to retrace the history of what might have happened at 5,000 meters above sea level, archaeologists carried out analyses to determine the age and genome of the bones. And what they found was surprising, to say the least. The experts realized that a large majority of them were linked to the Indian ethnic group, which can be explained by geographical proximity; while others were linked to the Mediterranean and a smaller proportion to South-East Asia.

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Death expeditions?

Through further DNA analysis, the archaeologists came to the conclusion that the 'locals' had died over 1,000 years ago, while the deaths of the others were more recent, around 1800 AD. Professor David Reich of Harvard Medical School explains:

The history of Lake Roopkund is more complex than we had anticipated. We never thought we'd discover migratory flows from the Mediterranean in the 19th century.

Some of the skulls found at the scene showed damage similar to that caused by large hailstones. Half of them were analyzed as belonging to unrelated women. Were they part of a pilgrim expedition? Were they on their way to a nearby temple or to the lake as part of a ritual? For the moment, questions remain unanswered.

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This article has been translated from Gentside FR.

Sources used:

The Atlantic: The Mystery of ‘Skeleton Lake’ Gets Deeper

Endorfeen: Frozen Graves: The Bodies on Mount Everest